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Name: Eli Holzman
Username: griffin mill
Hometown: NYC
Occupation: VP TV - Miramax
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What attracted you to the Entertainment Industry, and what was your first job or big break in the business?
First and foremost, I love movies and television. As a career choice, entertainment - film and TV production specifically - allows me to work on something I love and challenges me in three distinct areas: art, craft and business.
Each of these areas is fascinating to me. My big break was getting my foot in the door at Miramax in the form of an internship.
What is the biggest challenge you faced trying to break into the industry, and how did you overcome it?
Growing up in NYC I don't think I faced the challenges that many others do in "breaking in." In that respect, I have been very lucky. For me, it was a question of finding the right path once I knew that I wanted to work in the business. I got a lot of conflicting advice and it wasn't until I began to read books about the business that I began to have a clearer sense of the various roles available to a person interested in film or television. From there the challenge has been in plotting the proper course - and working hard to stay on course.
What advice can you give those trying to break into the "industry?"
Don't take no for an answer. I don't think that the most talented people thrive in this business - instead, I think it's the most committed, and the most productive. (This is not to say talent isn't important - it's a vital ingredient and productive talented people do the work we all admire.
The most important ingredient in "breaking in" is hard work and dedication. If you won't take no for an answer and you're willing to work as hard as you can - and never get discouraged and never give up - you'll be welcomed into the business with open arms. This applies more to people trying to break into producing than directing and writing - but I think the same largely holds true for those arenas as well. For those disciplines I'd add the ability to honestly assess your own work as an important ingredient. If you constantly strive to improve - and your honest with yourself (and take the good counsel of others to heart) - they won't be able to keep you out for long.
Please describe your job for those who might not know what a Television Vice President is.
TV development and production executives try to find ideas for TV shows, sell them to networks and cable channels and then supervise the production process. Usually these ideas come from writers to "develop" a show. If the idea for a show is sold, a TV development exec will work with the writer in something of an editorial capacity to help craft a script. If the script is to be produced, a production exec supervises that process working closely with the writer, director, producer and network cable partner.
Can you share any tricks of the trade that help you work faster/cheaper/better?
Make a list - keep a pen and pad with you at all times and take notes. Make lists of everything you need to get done, prioritize the list and start with the most important thing first. To work better/cheaper/faster read The Time Trap by R. Alec MacKenzie.
Tricks of the trade - think everything through for yourself and don't accept anything that doesn't make sense to you. This business is all just common sense - of something doesn't add up for you or if it seems like there's a better way of doing something - there probably is - so do it your way.
Also, read a lot. Sadly in Hollywood I think information is sometimes viewed as a commodity to measure and judge people (because creativity and talent are so hard to quantify). It will never hurt you to have learned something - so read the biographies of the top ten people in your chosen field - the educational value will be immense.
Please illustrate the way that the performance of your position can help or hurt a movie. Name a movie that you've seen (or worked on) that we could view and understand the difference between a good job and a bad job.
Hmm - I think every bad movie (or TV show) ever made, to some small (sometimes large) degree can be traced back to a bad executive decision. When an exec does their job well it should be all but invisible - the movie should be great and it should be successful. When you walk out of a movie and wonder "how did that piece of shit get made?" - that's a good example of some exec doing a bad job. This isn't to say that the disasters aren't a group effort as well. But, theoretically, a good exec only makes the good movies - and gets them made well. That said, no one does a perfect job in any field - so any fairly good average is to be admired. A good movie is made up of a number of equally important complimentary elements - a good exec selects those elements and puts them together.
Are you a writer, and if so, how many screenplays have you written?
No. None.
What advice would you give to writers on how to craft a script that addresses practical production issues?
Write a great script- don't worry about practical production issues. If someone tells you its too big or too expensive - and you value their opinion (i.e. need their money) rewrite it.
If it's any help three typical potentially costly elements you might watch out for are 1)kids, 2)effects, 3) animals. But "Goonies," "Free Willy" and "Star Wars" seem to have gotten made and I'm pretty sure they did OK - so, again, write the best you can. You can always make it cheaper - but you might not get a change to make it better.
What advice would you give a director on how to make production easier?
Plan and prepare in advance - the more knowledgeable you are, the more you've thought through up-front the better off you'll be. That said, I wouldn't say there's any way to make a director's job "easier" - but it might be made a little less difficult.
List your top 5 favorite films
- Spice World
- Godfather III
- A Night at the Roxbury
- Episode I
- Magnolia
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